Audit the Fed!

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a monied aristocracy that has set the government at defiance. The issuing power (of money) should be taken away from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs."

--Thomas Jefferson

With all of this talk about National Deficit Spending and the Stimulus, I often times try to make sense out of monetary policy that is legislated. I won’t try to explain credit default swaps or intrinsically predatory loans; it would bore me writing it, and I’m sure it would bore you reading it. I’m going to talk to you about exactly what a stimulus is.

A stimulus is a loan. That’s all. But it’s a loan that we take out using an imaginary credit card that is linked to the accounts of every taxpayer in our country. Credit cards, as most of you know, are dangerous in the hands of those who don’t understand what they are. A credit card is imaginary money loaned to you that you are expected to pay back with interest. To date, the National Debt, which must be paid off by the taxpayers, is about $11.4 Trillion dollars. Wonder how much a trillion dollars is? Click this link to understand a bit better. Now that we’re on the same page, understand that we owe almost 12 of those.

What is our plan to pay this off? There are very few long-term answers, and far too many immediate questions. I am concentrated on giving our businesses the tools that they need to create jobs and let us work our way out of this recession; I support the elimination of the capital gains tax, but that is a discussion for another time. With many Democrats calling for another stimulus, and my primary opponent simply disagreeing, (but offering no solutions) I have a proposal: Audit the Federal Reserve.

Many of you may not fully understand what the Fed is. A quick summary can be found here. Quite simply, I propose that we do an Audit on this privately owned institution. If you, a citizen, is required to provide an record of every penny that you earn. If you are not paying the taxes that the government requires of you, or are not reporting truthfully, then the IRS will audit you. Why isn't the Federal Reserve providing a record of every penny of our tax money that they spend?

Honesty and transparency were values that I was taught as a child, and they are what dictate my actions on a day-to-day basis. We were told that the stimulus money would be spent with the greatest care, and it would target areas that could stimulate job growth. Yet, the people who loaned the money, the citizens of the United States, don’t tangibly know where and how that money is being spent.

I want to know, and I believe that you, as a people, have a right to know. We have the right to see where our money is being spent. If the Fed has nothing to fear, they should have nothing to hide.

As of today, unemployment and foreclosure is on the rise. We are worse off than we were, and now a third stimulus is being proposed. I think that the Fed needs to be investigated for misconduct before we give them billions more of our dollars to spend on another bailout. Many of my opponents claim that we need a bigger stimulus, and my response to this is:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

A Strategy for Afghanistan

With yesterday being Veterans Day, and my chance to meet and briefly speak with U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George Casey, Jr., at Harvard’s Medal of Honor ceremony, I find it necessary to state my position on the war in Afghanistan and the need to redefine the objective.

Today I proposed an immediate cease-fire in Afghanistan coupled with an invitation to “all-party” peace talks in Paris that would include the Karzai government, the Abdullah faction, the Taliban, and Pakistan.

Attending Veteran’s Day services at Harvard yesterday, and seeing all of the brave young men and women in uniform, coupled with the tragic news of yet another Massachusetts soldier killed in Afghanistan, brought home to me in a very personal way the need for an immediate peaceful solution in Afghanistan. Army Spec. Benjamin Sherman, 21, of Plymouth, was found dead Tuesday in Afghanistan.

My plan calls for offering the Taliban a cease-fire deadline of Friday, December 18^th, which marks the Muslim New Year. If accepted, the peace talks would be convened by January 15^th in Paris or any other neutral location acceptable to all parties. All issues would be on the table, including the possibility of an “all-party” government in Afghanistan. Critically, no additional U.S. or NATO troops would be sent to Afghanistan while the talks are pending.

Given his being held in high esteem throughout the world, perhaps President Obama himself would be the best person to mediate these talks, as Teddy Roosevelt successfully did in 1905 to end the Russo-Japanese War and for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. Now that the President has ordered his advisers to bring him new options on Afghanistan, perhaps this is one of the options that can be considered. And by inviting Pakistan to the talks, it’s quite possible that many of Pakistan’s current security problems can be solved as well.

If Mandela and de Klerk can negotiate, if the IRA and the British can negotiate, if Israel and her Arab neighbors can negotiate, then certainly Karzai, Abdullah, the Taliban and Pakistan can negotiate. I see this as the best path to a true Peace with Honor for all parties – especially the United States and her NATO allies.

However, my GOP primary opponent (Scott Brown) has no answers to this problem. All he was able to say is: “At this point, I’m not sure, to be honest with you.” (http://www.wbur.org/2009/09/14/scott-brown). These are the types of questions that need to be answered by anyone running for the U.S. Senate. We cannot afford to send someone to Washington who lacks the experience and understanding to address one of the most critical issues facing our country today.

This is one of the many issues on which I have a fresh and unique perspective not tainted by spending years on Beacon Hill or Capitol Hill. That is why I am asking for your vote in the Republican U.S. Senate primary to be held on Tuesday, December 8, 2009. And if you are an Unenrolled voter, please pull a Republican primary ballot and vote for me.

I need your help in advancing the Progressive Republican Agenda in Washington. If you are able, please feel free to donate to my campaign by clicking here.

Finally, please watch our newest campaign video asking Scott Brown to accept my invitation to debate.

VIDEO HERE

-Jack

Reflections on Veterans Day

Jack greets Army Chief of Staff General George W. Casey, Jr., at Harvard's Veterans Day ceremony. The General, a Massachusetts native, wishes Jack "good luck."

Welcome

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." -Theodore Roosevelt


Welcome to my first blog post.

Many of you don't know me. Being known by misconceptions leaves me with a duty to paint you a true portrait of who I am, and what qualifies me to be your next United States Senator.

I am a Massachusetts native, entrepreneur, attorney, and business leader with over 25 years experience solving business problems and creating jobs. The unemployment rate is over 10% in our great country. My experience in the private sector will bring valuable insight to getting our economy back on it’s feet.

I’ve made my own way in business. I’ve started and run businesses, from airlines to cellular companies, and have operated them successfully by fixing problems and maximizing their performance. My companies grew to employ over 1,000 people. I know what it takes to meet a payroll and keep a business healthy so it can grow and provide more and better jobs, as well as top-quality health care benefits, for employees and their families.


I’ve worked in a variety of executive positions in the airline industry with Continental Airlines and Eastern Airlines, and became the youngest airline president in modern U.S. aviation history when I served as president of Eastern Express – at the time, one of the largest regional airlines in the country. I also worked in the financial services industry with MasterCard International, and will rely on that experience to force credit card companies to treat customers fairly, including eliminating onerous credit card interest rates and other consumer abuses.


I then entered the wireless telecom industry, where I founded the largest digital cellular company in the Caribbean -- Oceanic Digital Communications (later sold to the world’s richest man -- Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim), and traveled to many developing countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, seeking to build cellular networks in those countries.


Today, I am General Counsel of Benistar, the largest Third-Party Administrator of employer health and welfare benefit plans in the country and the only TPA to have passed a SAS 70 Level II audit by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. I have drawn on Benistar’s experience in providing affordable health care plans for small businesses, union retirees, and individuals to craft my unique “12-Point Plan” for Health Care Reform.


I am an author, a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, a Commodore in the U.S. Navy League, and a booster at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. I spend my free time reading history and tutoring students.


Massachusetts and the nation have complex issues that require creative solutions. I am here to provide the missing pieces to the puzzle. Perhaps with the help of voters such as yourselves, I can better understand the real problems that you are facing in your daily lives.


My first priority in this race is to listen. My goal in this race is to lead. And my job, should I be elected, is to provide the best representation to the people of Massachusetts.


I will provide clear and detailed solutions to the problems that we face, not bland political polemics. My number one concern is transparency; it has been and always will be.


My name is Jack E. Robinson, and I am running for United States Senate.


For more information, visit our new web site at www.jackerobinson.com.


Welcome to “The Robinson Report.”